Fox “straight news” anchor Bret Baier airs misleading graphic about Georgia and Colorado voting laws
Written by Nikki McCann Ramirez & John Whitehouse
Published
On April 6, following Major League Baseball’s decision to move the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver, Fox “straight news” anchor Bret Baier ran a misleading graphic comparing voting laws in Georgia and Colorado.
The graphic compared the number of days of early voting, vote-by-mail requirements, and certain circumstances in which IDs are required. But this is misleading. Colorado is a universal vote-by-mail state, as every registered voter in Colorado is sent a ballot; a photocopy of identification documents is only sometimes required the first time they submit a mail-in ballot. The state’s few residents who choose to vote in-person are allowed to use a recent “utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the elector,” while Georgia requires voters to present a government-issued photo ID to cast a ballot in person -- a voter suppression measure that disproportionately effects low-income voters and people of color.
Furthermore, Baier and the graphic ignore some of the worst elements of the new Georgia law, like criminalizing providing water to people standing in line, or that the Republican-controlled legislature can seize control of the state election board -- giving GOP lawmakers the power to nullify votes and overturn elections.
Earlier in the day, CNN reporter Daniel Dale clarified the matter on Twitter when other right-wing media figures pushed it.
Media Matters’ Parker Molloy has also covered this in much more detail.
At Fox News, both on the so-called straight news and on the outright propaganda shows, network personalities are misleading their audiences about the Georgia law -- and ignoring the facts of why there is such widespread backlash.
This post has been updated for clarity. The date of the segment read March 6 instead of April 6.